The Case of the Missing Gift Cards

SituationRecently, a direct marketing services company was charged with helping its client—a national upscale restaurant chain—launch its largest direct mail campaign ever. Designed to stimulate first-time visits, the campaign placed $50 gift cards in 1.8MM Standard Mail® self-mailers, all sent to pure prospects.

In the restaurant business, an incentive like that usually generates a huge response, requiring the expense of additional staffing and a larger inventory of costly and perishable foods. So by necessity, the campaign had a tight in-home delivery window. Also, due to the value of the offer, there was serious potential for fraud if the non-transferable card landed in the hands of someone other than the designated user.

That's why the direct marketing services company needed to be sure the offers arrived at the right places and on time. Using TrackMyMail™ Services would help confirm both factors.

ActionOnce the company received proof of delivery for all drop shipments, it began monitoring the TrackMyMail scan data at the store level. Immediately, it spotted an issue in one key market: hardly anyone there had received a mailer.

After speaking with its USPS® BMEU managers in that area, the issue was escalated to the USPS Manager of Business Alliances. The company informed the client of the issue and contingency plans were made for that particular market.

The USPS® speculated that the pieces had been delivered and that there was potentially a data upload issue from its IMb scans. The USPS® contacted TrackMyMail and together they determined that was not the case. In addition, redemption data showed that all stores were enjoying great results with the exception of the market in question.

ImpactWith a little investigative research, the USPS® was ultimately able to locate the missing mailers. As a result, the mailers were rerouted so that they arrived well before the expiration dates. The store's redemption rates quickly rose to match those in other markets, and the event turned out to be the most successful promotion ever for the client.

If it weren't for TrackMyMail, the client would have wasted thousands of dollars in valuable food inventory and staffing. Along with the USPS® Business Alliance, TrackMyMail is continuing to make direct mail a more precise and effective marketing vehicle.